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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. deal — to handle
  4. capital — a city
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. board — a committee
  7. perch — the fish
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rest — what's left
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. capital — money
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — to get on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stock — shares
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. rest — a break
  23. stock — goods
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com